At first glance, three giant fingers sticking out of the ground might seem like one of today's whimsical art installations.
But when we consider the context of the place itself, history buffs among us can understand and appreciate the full scale of this find, which dates back to ancient times. This site belongs to the mysterious (and massive) supposedly Roman-style Temple of Hercules, located on a hillside overlooking the city of Amman, Jordan.
In terms of physical evidence for this hand of Hercules, so far archaeologists have been able to save three fingers (pictured above) along with a portion of the elbow, with both of these segments currently on display at the find. In fact, the remains most likely belonged to a much larger marble statue of Hercules that adorned the main temple, possibly built around 162-166. n. e., during the Roman occupation of the area by Marcus Aurelius.
Unlike its Roman structural counterparts, the Temple of Hercules is not very well preserved, rather emphasizing the mystery of the structure. In any case, archaeologists estimate that the temple complex covers an area of almost 95,000 square meters. m - which is 1.7 times the size of a football field, while the main building is 30 meters long and 26 meters wide, making it larger than any similar temple structure in Rome itself. In addition, the remains of six columns, which rose to a height of 10 meters, still adorn it on its Eastern portico.
However, the relatively disordered nature of the rest of the building, despite its large complex, hints at the hypothesis that the temple was never completed (and even abandoned). Intriguingly enough, some scholars have suggested that this particular Roman religious building was built on the site of a much older site dedicated to a revered God.
Where is the statue of Hercules itself?
Apart from the aforementioned fingers and elbow elements, the researchers found only a few coins that indicated the possible location of the statue. But, unfortunately, until now, archaeologists have not been able to find other fragments of this massive statue of Hercules. The reasons, according to the researchers, could be many. The likely scenario is that the area is prone to periodic earthquakes, and one of them could topple the statue, as happened with the Colossus of Rhodes. The resulting fragments of marble Hercules may have been later used by local residents (in the modern period) for other nearby construction projects.
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However, judging by the size of the fingers alone, the researchers calculated that this particular "lost" specimen may have been part of one of the largest marble statues in the world, which reached at least 13 meters in height.
